


Constant, - One-shot

by raccodactyl



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Almost Fluff, During Canon, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, fluff kind of, i dont really know how to tag this tbh, just read the summary, no TB, somewhat canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 14:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18830314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raccodactyl/pseuds/raccodactyl
Summary: Request: Dutch’s son male reader x Arthur where the reader saves Arthur from Micah and Dutch on the mountain (btw can Arthur not have tb in this he doesn’t deserve to die)Summary: Dutch raised you after your mother passed. You grew up an outlaw, Dutch trying the best he could to be a father. Things went south with the gang and tension built between you and your pa. As things changed so often and so rapidly in your life, there was one constant: Arthur.





	Constant, - One-shot

Dutch was young when he had you, only about 17 years old. Your mother had gotten killed in a robbery when you were young, and Dutch, although a criminal himself, took you in and raised you as best as he could. Though unconventional by every stretch of the word, things weren’t all bad. He really did try his best, and with Hosea at his side, he was okay. 

 

You were only six years old when Dutch and Hosea found a very young, very angry Arthur Morgan wandering on the streets of a run-down town in northern Kansas. He was only 15 then, lost and full of hate for the world that did him so dirty. Dutch and Hosea did the only thing they knew, taking him under their wing and raising him as their own. You and Arthur had a complicated relationship, having spent your most formative years with one another. He was always protective over you, even though you could manage yourself. You were both taught the same lessons, and yet he always felt the need to keep an eye on you. 

 

Through the years, as more people came along, Arthur stayed steady. The four of you being together was the only real constant you had in your life, and for that you were grateful. John came along, adding to your odd family and being the brother you never asked for but gladly got. Your father was a fairly hard man to talk to, but Hosea and Arthur were always there, no matter how big or small the issue may be. Of course, with Arthur being at least a little bit closer in age, it was him you usually turned to. 

 

A sense of trust grew and flourished between the two of you, and Hosea took notice, always pressing little jabs about the special bond the two of you had and joking about the day you would “finally shack up.” Of course, the feelings were there, but the two of you never dared act on it. Through the years, more lovers came and passed through, leading to days and weeks and months of turmoil and heartbreak. You knew nothing could compare to what you and Arthur had, but both of you made the best attempts to distance yourself from it without making distance between the two of you. You did your best to will the feelings away, but of course, the heart wants most what it cannot have. 

 

Times grew harsh within the gang. You always remained loyal to your loved ones, following Dutch’s words as he taught you. You grew up treating what he said as the word of God, focusing on loyalty more than anything else in the world. Above morality, righteousness, and even safety was loyalty to your father. Arthur was in the same boat, although he had grown vocal about his doubts. 

 

Things had started to go south when Micah entered the gang. The man with the dark laugh and natural arrogance had begun to drive a wedge between you and Dutch. The slimy, vindictive man somehow managed to weasel his way into a top position in the gang. Admittedly, he was a talented gun, but that didn’t change the fact that he was reckless and careless in the most fragile of times. You made your opinions very clear to Dutch, but it never seemed to win him over.

 

“Son, do you trust me,” he’d ask.

 

“‘Course I do, Pa,” you’d answer.

 

“Then do not second guess me.”

 

Things were falling apart before your eyes. Everything had gone to shit since the day you step foot in Saint Denis, rapidly declining without a thing to do to stop it. Dutch was getting sloppy, but he’d scold you whenever you tried to call him out on it. 

 

“I’m a grown man, I know when something's off. Something has gone wrong in your head,” you told him in a particularly heated argument. 

 

“I will not tolerate you constantly undermining me, boy. You will betray me in the end, I can sense it,” he said back firmly.

 

“Will you quit it with that cryptic bullshit? I’m tired of it.”

 

“Watch your damn language with me,” he replied with a clenched jaw. 

 

You turned and began to walk away, “Fuck off.”

 

Things got worse tenfold after the loss of Hosea. You ran with Charles and managed to escape the law, but with John in prison and the top brass on a boat to who knows where, there was barely anything holding the gang together. You were Sadie’s second in command as she tried her best to maintain things. She was smart, keeping everyone in line and trying to keep the spirits of the camp up. You longed for Arthur to return but dreaded the others coming home. You were scared and hurt in more ways than you could name, but you had to remain strong for the others who couldn’t be.

 

After a long, practically unbearable few weeks, Arthur returned with only a few new scrapes and scars to add to the collection. Much to your disdain, both Micah and Dutch returned unscathed apart from a bit of a sunburn. You hated yourself for how much you grew to resent your own father, but you couldn’t justify what he was doing anymore. 

 

You were sat in the little cabin the gang was holed up in when you heard the door open. Most of the gang was out either hunting or buying supplies from the market. You took the time to yourself, knowing it was the only bit of alone time you’d be able to catch in a while, so you weren’t exactly happy when you heard someone approach.

 

“Who’s there,” you called out. 

 

“Y/N,” the familiar, warm voice answered. “Is that you?”

 

Immediately, you put your book down and jumped from your place on the floor. You saw Arthur standing in the entryway, clothes ragged and dirty and cheeks pink from the sun. You could barely believe your eyes, doing a double take and doing what you could to make sure you weren’t dreaming. 

 

He opened his arms and you rushed toward him, burying your head in the crook of his neck and relishing in the feeling of his arms around you. Hugs weren’t scarce between the two of you, but you cherished each and every one. 

 

“I missed you so goddamn much,” he whispered into the side of your head. 

 

You sniffled, trying to keep yourself collected, “I’ve missed you too. I was so scared you were gone.”

 

“Gonna take more than that to get rid of me.”

 

He held you a bit tighter than usual, keeping you a bit closer than usual, letting things go on a bit longer than usual. You didn’t particularly like just how much you enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms, trying to repress that enjoyment as much as you could. It was hard to pull away, but he didn’t quit contact, only putting both of his hands on your face and meeting your eyes. 

 

“It’s been so hard here without you,” you said, your voice shaking. 

 

“I’m here now,” he said back, comforting you in the best way he knew how. “I’m right here and I ain’t going anywhere.”

 

You got him a warm drink and some fresh food before sitting down on one of the makeshift beds. He ate and gave you a rundown of the situation with the awful little island of Guarma and the wild troubles they landed themselves in on the trip. “Anything but the tropical vacation we been hoping for,” he joked. “The others will probably be back tomorrow. They wanted us to take separate routes and really get the law off our scent. I’m just glad I found you folks.”

 

“Me too. Things haven’t been good here, especially with Hosea being gone. You heard the got John chained up in the penitentiary across the river. Of course young Lenny… Hell, doesn’t seem anything good has happened. Sadie has really stepped up around here. Kept us all in check. But.. damn, Arthur, I didn’t realize how much I could miss a person until I thought you were gone.”

 

He discarded his bowl and slung an arm over your shoulders, “Oh darlin, we’re gonna get through this.”

 

A few more chaotic, horribly troublesome weeks went by. The move to Beaver Hollow and the death of Molly had everyone hopeless. You and Dutch barely even looked at each other, him occupying his time with Micah and you doing everything you could to ignore them. Camp was a mess of fear and anxiety, and no matter how people tried to lighten the spirits, people were still weighed down by heavy hearts.

 

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, they did. Everything you thought was okay suddenly wasn’t. The train robbery was the final nail in the coffin for the Van Der Linde Gang. You were with Arthur when Abigail shot Agent Milton and you were there for the gruesome death of one Susan Grimshaw. You watched as your own father called you and the others he had been a father to  _ traitors _ . You were there for the first time in which Dutch showed his true colors.

 

The Pinkertons raged in on the camp. You, Arthur, and John ran through the passages of the caves in an attempt to outrun the people on your tail. They brought a full army onto the 9 people left standing at Beaver Hollow. You ran to the top of the mountains, holding off the Pinkertons as best as you could. Arthur was getting tired, could barely keep pushing with all the fatigue that weighed heavy on his body.

 

“I’ll hold ‘em off here,” he said, needing a moment to sit and breathe. “Move further down the line, I’ll be okay. You just make sure John gets out okay.”

 

“Arthur, I can’t just leave you up here,” you said frantically.

 

“Y/N, listen to me,” he said firmly. “I’ll be okay. Just run, make sure he’s safe.”

 

“Dammit,” you cursed to yourself. “I’ll be back for you.”

 

He just nodded and urged you to move along. You shot your way through the cliffs until it seemed things were clear. With a good hug and maybe a few tears shed, you sent him on his way, urging him to find his family and get as far away from here as he possibly could. 

 

“You’re my brother,” he said, “I love you. Be safe.”

 

“I love you too, John. I’ll find you.”

 

The two of you parted ways and you began your trek back up the mountain. As you grew closer, you heard more voices than just Arthur’s, but they weren’t the posh accents of the Pinkertons, but of that rat Micah and his latest toy. 

 

You found Arthur on the ground, Micah standing above him, and your own father standing back and watching it happen. On instinct, you drew both of your pistols and aimed them at the attackers. 

 

“What the hell is going on here,” you spat. 

 

“Goddamn rat,” Arthur cursed. “All them years, Dutch. You’re just going to throw it away.”

 

“Don’t blame him for the doings of others,” Dutch said with a clenched jaw.

 

“I’m sick of you doing things without thinking about it,” you said. “You leave the thinking to that asshole, a fucking rat, over there, of course things are gonna go south with every plan we make. He talked, Dutch.  Things ain’t right, and I don’t know how you can sleep at night knowing you prioritize someone you just met a year ago over your own  _ son,  _ Dutch. You might be my father, but you sure as hell ain’t my daddy.”

 

“Don’t speak for me boy,” Dutch returned, “You don’t know what goes on in my head, don’t pretend you do.”

 

“I think I have a pretty damn good idea based on the past month here.”

 

Arthur slowly backed up from his place on the ground and stood up next to you, drawing his own gun and pointing it back and forth between the men. 

 

“I’d say I can’t believe my eyes, watching the boys I raised betray me, but I can’t say I’m surprised,” Dutch said. “I knew you would betray me in the end, Y/N.”

 

“There shouldn’t have  _ been _ a fucking end to this. You’re my father, Dutch. That’s not how these things work. You chose your side, you chose your people, and I chose mine. Now I think using the word betrayal is pretty goddamn hypocritical, don’t you?”

 

Dutch shot you a look, glancing over at the way Arthur stood with you. He began to back away, not saying anything. 

 

“Have you gone soft, are you just going to let them live-” Micah said, but Dutch cut him off.

 

“Not a word. This is done.”

 

Micah shook his head but followed orders and Dutch led them from their spot on the mountains. You and Arthur watched, making sure they didn’t try to pull anything in the moment of relief. Once they were out of sight, you finally relaxed. You turned to Arthur, noticing the areas in which he had gotten a bit scraped up. 

 

“Are you okay,” you asked him, getting into his space and keeping your hands on his shoulders. 

 

“I’ll be fine. I just- shit,” he said out of breath. 

 

“I know, I know, let’s get you somewhere safe.”

 

You made the trek down much slower than the first time. He was beyond exhausted and you were too, but you needed to fight at this moment to make sure he was okay. You found an abandoned cabin, not far from Beaver Hollow, and barricaded yourself in the small, wood house. 

 

You set him up on the bed and tended to his wounds as best as you could with the limited supplies you had. You got a bit of food in him and tried to make him comfortable, both of you still shaken up by the turn of events. Everything came crashing before your eyes, and the only thing you had left was each other. He was and always would be the only real constant in your life and for that, you were eternally grateful. 

 

The sun was getting ready to rise and no matter how tired you were, you were far too shaken up to sleep. You just watched the ties finally break between you and your own father. He showed his true colors then, showed himself to be the monster he really was. 

 

Arthur sat on the bed, you on the floor with your back against the wall and legs outstretched. He spoke up, a hint of caution in his voice but he powered through nonetheless. “You know, I don’t think I can really imagine what you’re going through, but to be quite honest, I think I’m the closest thing you’ve got to understanding. I, um, I want you to know I’m here. I’m not one for quotes and I’ll probably botch this one, but… You remember Rains Fall?”

 

“I do,” you nodded. 

 

“I talked to him a while, not long ago on one of the days I was helping him. You know he told me people don’t change… only become more of what they are. I’m sorry your pa turned out the way he did. God damn, that shit stung, and he ain’t even my daddy. I don’t know that it’s right to compare our bonds with him, but… I don’t know, that’s where I’m at I guess.”

 

“It’s not wrong,” you said with a sad smile, “He raised you almost as much as he did me. I still don’t want to believe what just happened but if I’m being honest, I’ve grown to resent him quite a bit. Just so sick of his shit. I hate being angry,” you trailed off. 

 

He let a moment go by, biting his lip as if he was contemplating something serious. He looked up you, meeting your eyes, “This is probably a bad time for this, but,” he let out a sigh, “Can you come ‘ere?”

 

“Of course,” you said as you got up, moving to sit next to him. 

 

“I don’t know how to say this,” he started, “But you’re all I’ve got and I don’t want to mess things up. It feels like I’ve been dodging this conversation for 20 goddamn years,” he let out a sad chuckle. “I  _ really  _ don’t wanna mess us up, so please just hit me if I’m being stupid, which I very well might be. I… Y/N, I want more than what we have. I guess I want to step things up, and without… now that we’ve  _ lost _ ,  I guess I just know what I need now, know what really matters to me.”

 

“Arthur,” you said with a smile, “You’re being anything but stupid. Hell, I’ve been dodging all this too. I- shit. I’ve wanted this for so long. Wanted  _ you  _ for so long.” 

 

He looked up at you, meeting your eyes and grabbing one of your hands with both of his, “Do you mean that?”

 

“Every word.”

 

He let out a deep breath and brought you in for a hug, burying himself in your neck and breathing deeply, taking you in as best as he could. “All the time we wasted…”

 

“Don’t worry about that right now,” you whispered as you rubbed his back. “We’ve got years ahead of us.” 

 

He pulled away and you put a hand on his jaw, feeling the scratchy hairs under your palm and letting your thumb run just below his mouth. “Is this okay,” you asked.  

 

“More than.”

 

He cut the distance, putting his lips on yours in a sweet, almost juvenile kiss. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt that way. Movements were cautious and unpracticed, but it worked. When you both pulled away, you kept your foreheads pressed together, your eyes still closed. 

 

“We’re going to be okay,” you said. “I know that. As long as I’ve got you by my side, I know that.”

 

“I love you so damn much,” he whispered. 

 

“I love you too,” you said back, “More than anything.”


End file.
